Medical Physics Terminology

Terminology is the science of terms.
Physics is the science of nature.
Medical physics is a term of science that overlaps two fields: medicine and physics.
Medical physics concerns the study of several fields of physics in the body, including:
- Physical parameters that involve in the function of the body and affect the body (e.g., pressure, force, energy, power, and electricity).
- Physics of body organs and systems (e.g., vision, hearing, skeletal, pulmonary, cardiovascular, and nervous systems).
- Applications of physics in the practice of medicine (e.g., laser, sound and ultrasound, X-rays, CT scans, MRI, ECG, EEG, ERG).

Standard units: some quantities in medicine are measured in the same units for measurement (e.g., force in newton, work in joule, power in watts).
Nonstandard units: some quantities in medicine are measured in special units that are different from the units used outside of medicine (e.g., pressure in mmHg or cmHg instead of N/m² or dyne/cm², energy in kilocalorie or calorie instead of joule).

Repetitive measurements: include quantities that are measured in repetition per unit time (e.g., pulse rate, breathing rate, electrical signals from the brain).
Nonrepetitive measurements: include quantities that are not repetitive or uniform (e.g., time of kidney function, food digestion, nerve signals, eye movement).

Medical measurements should be very accurate, with a low percentage of error to avoid risky results.
Errors can occur due to measuring instruments, psychological reasons, and other factors.
Inaccurate measurements can lead to false negative or false positive errors.

Medical measurements that precede treatment:
- Routine measurements (e.g., body temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure, body weight).
- Other required tests according to the patient's case (e.g., laboratory investigation, body signals investigation, machinery measuring instruments).

Sound in medicine:
- General properties of sound.
- The stethoscope.
- Ultrasound picture of the body.
- Ultrasound to measure motion.
- Physiological effects of ultrasound in therapy.
Light in medicine:
- Measurement of light and its units.
- Applications of visible light in medicine.
- Applications of microscopes in medicine.
Physics of the eyes and vision:
- Defective vision and its correction.
- Instruments used in ophthalmology.
Laser in medicine:
- Generation of laser light.
- Applications to medicine.
Physics of diagnostic X-rays:
- Production of X-ray beams.
- How X-ray is absorbed.
- Fluoroscopy.
- CT scan.
Physics of nuclear medicine:
- Units of radioactivity.
- Basic instrumentation of nuclear medicine.
- Radiation doses in nuclear medicine.
Physics of radiation therapy:
- Dose units in radiotherapy.
- Principles of radiation therapy.
Radiation detection:
- Biological effects of ionizing radiation.
- Radiation protection in radiation therapy.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Terminology is the science of terms.
Physics is the science of nature.
Medical physics is a term of science that overlaps two fields: medicine and physics.
Medical physics concerns the study of several fields of physics in the body, including:
- Physical parameters that involve in the function of the body and affect the body (e.g., pressure, force, energy, power, and electricity).
- Physics of body organs and systems (e.g., vision, hearing, skeletal, pulmonary, cardiovascular, and nervous systems).
- Applications of physics in the practice of medicine (e.g., laser, sound and ultrasound, X-rays, CT scans, MRI, ECG, EEG, ERG).

Standard units: some quantities in medicine are measured in the same units for measurement (e.g., force in newton, work in joule, power in watts).
Nonstandard units: some quantities in medicine are measured in special units that are different from the units used outside of medicine (e.g., pressure in mmHg or cmHg instead of N/m² or dyne/cm², energy in kilocalorie or calorie instead of joule).

Repetitive measurements: include quantities that are measured in repetition per unit time (e.g., pulse rate, breathing rate, electrical signals from the brain).
Nonrepetitive measurements: include quantities that are not repetitive or uniform (e.g., time of kidney function, food digestion, nerve signals, eye movement).

Medical measurements should be very accurate, with a low percentage of error to avoid risky results.
Errors can occur due to measuring instruments, psychological reasons, and other factors.
Inaccurate measurements can lead to false negative or false positive errors.

Medical measurements that precede treatment:
- Routine measurements (e.g., body temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure, body weight).
- Other required tests according to the patient's case (e.g., laboratory investigation, body signals investigation, machinery measuring instruments).

Sound in medicine:
- General properties of sound.
- The stethoscope.
- Ultrasound picture of the body.
- Ultrasound to measure motion.
- Physiological effects of ultrasound in therapy.
Light in medicine:
- Measurement of light and its units.
- Applications of visible light in medicine.
- Applications of microscopes in medicine.
Physics of the eyes and vision:
- Defective vision and its correction.
- Instruments used in ophthalmology.
Laser in medicine:
- Generation of laser light.
- Applications to medicine.
Physics of diagnostic X-rays:
- Production of X-ray beams.
- How X-ray is absorbed.
- Fluoroscopy.
- CT scan.
Physics of nuclear medicine:
- Units of radioactivity.
- Basic instrumentation of nuclear medicine.
- Radiation doses in nuclear medicine.
Physics of radiation therapy:
- Dose units in radiotherapy.
- Principles of radiation therapy.
Radiation detection:
- Biological effects of ionizing radiation.
- Radiation protection in radiation therapy.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).